If you own an IoHD device from AJA which you use as your input/output device for Final Cut Studio, it may give your HP DreamColor monitor a free ride. As explained in my recent article How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!, the DreamColor monitor is quite attractive, yet quite demanding, since in order to allow use of its color engine (and therefore monitor in ITU-R BT.701 color space), the monitor demands that the incoming signal be both RGB (not component) and true progressive (not interlaced or even PsF). Since the HDMI output of your IoHD can be set up to be RGB, the fact that you own the IoHD may be (under certain circumstances) a “free ticket” for the DreamColor.
What circumstances?
Given of the fact the IoHD always puts out 1080HD video over HDMI in either interlaced or PsF, the IoHD only will only put out true progressive in two modes: 720p50 and 720p59.94 (aka “60p”). So if you are producing in 720p, your IoHD may indeed give your DreamColor monitor a “free ride”, saving you either US$690 or even up to US$1299 in external boxes from AJA or Gefen. Full details are on page 2 of the article How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!
In the coming weeks, I’ll be doing a full review of the HP DreamColor 30-bit monitor (10-bit per channel) and the Hi5-3G, one of the two conversion boxes. Stay tuned.